Henry pleasant surprise for Eskimos

Chris O'Leary, Edmonton Journal10.25.2012

Edmonton Eskimos receiver Marcus Henry celebrates after scoring a touchdown during a Canadian Football League game against the Hamilton Tiger Cats at Commonwealth Stadium on Oct. 5, 2012.Larry Wong
/ Edmonton Journal

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MONTREAL – Edmonton Eskimos fans expected the worst when Adarius Bowman was injured in Week 2 of the Canadian Football League season.

Fair enough. Bowman tied Fred Stamps for the team lead in receiving yards (1,153) last year. As the open man when Stamps drew double coverage, Bowman was planning on having an even better campaign in 2012.

Blowing out his knee at Regina changed all of that and left an Eskimos offence that was already struggling without one of its key options.

Marcus Henry had to wait nine games to be the Band-Aid for the Eskimos, but since he started playing has shown some Bowman-like abilities, ncluding a tough catch-and-run touchdown against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Oct. 5. In seven games, Henry has caught 21 passes for 270 yards. His one touchdown has matched his total from last season.

“It’s been going pretty well,” Henry said.

He was on the Eskimos’ nine-game injured list to start the season, but has grabbed attention just about every week with his athleticism around the ball.

“It was a little frustrating sitting on the sideline, but getting back out there feels pretty good,” he said.

Now he just has to stay healthy.

“Marcus is one of those guys that if he can ever stay healthy, he’d be a perennial 1,000-yard receiver,” Eskimos head coach Kavis Reed said of the 26-year-old from Hinesville, Ga. “He has all of the intangibles. He has size, he has speed, his hands are very good, and he understands every position receiver-wise.”

Henry played in 11 games last season and had 33 catches for 384 yards.

“I bet if you asked him to draw any of the formations and the plays from the (offensive) line to the running backs, he could do it,” Reed said. “He’s been honoured as one of our best blockers since we’ve moved him in at the tight-end position. He’s a very versatile individual, a very talented individual who has been highly talented, but just injury-prone.”

At six-foot-five, 224 pounds, Henry is slightly bigger than Bowman’s six-foot-three and 223 pounds. Eskimos quarterback Kerry Joseph said there certainly similarities between the two.

“That long body, just understanding timing and spacing, how to get open,” Joseph said. “Adarius probably runs a bit faster, but overall they know how to use the middle of the field and find those zones.”

Henry may be injury-prone, but Reed said he has the same toughness that Bowman showed in 2011.

“He’s a very tough individual. He will work through pain. There are times you can play hurt, but injured, definitely not. (Henry) will put his face in there when it’s time to block. He has an aggressiveness about him that you won’t be able to tell just by sitting around talking to him.”

Henry is a soft-spoken individual. Asked to pick his favourite catch this year — there are a lot to choose from — he shrugged off the chance to run through his personal highlight reel.

“I like all of them,” he said. “I’m just catching the ball, that’s all I’m doing. If it’s a highlight reel catch, I guess it is.”

Charles out Sunday

A week off practice didn’t help Hugh Charles’ injured knee, so the Eskimos announced on Friday morning that their starting tailback would sit out Sunday’s game against the Montreal Alouettes.

Reed said after Friday’s practice that he would have used Charles if he were at 95 per cent. He said Charles wasn’t 90 per cent yet and that he hoped to have him for the regular-season finale next Friday against the Calgary Stampeders.

“We could have pushed Hugh and possibly risked further injury to the young man,” Reed said. “Player safety is very important. We’re hoping that we can finish off our playoff positioning this week. If not, having him available to us the following game would be very important for us.”

Charles injured his knee in the second half of the Eskimos’ loss to the B.C. Lions last week in Vancouver.